Evergreen, COSCO join Ocean3 Asia-Med loop

Ocean carrier Evergreen Line is joining the Ocean3 Alliance’s Phoenician Express/BEX2 as a vessel provider, while COSCO began participating on the loop two weeks ago as a slot purchaser.    The Ocean3 Alliance’s Phoenician Express/BEX2 loop between Asia and the Mediterranean is adding Evergreen Line as a vessel provider and recently added COSCO as a slot purchaser.
   Ocean carriers CMA CGM, UASC and CSCL comprise the Ocean3 Alliance.
   COSCO joined the Phoenician Express/BEX2 with the March 10 sailing of the Xin Da Lian from Shanghai, dubbing it the AMX8, while Evergreen Line will join the loop with the April 1 sailing of the Ever Utile from Shanghai, dubbing it the BEX2, according to the carriers’ most recent online service schedules.
   The Phoenician Express/BEX2 began calling Jeddah in March, and starting with the April 1 sailing from Shanghai, the loop will add a call at Tanjung Pelepas and remove its westbound Malta call, resulting in a revised port rotation of Shanghai, Ningbo, Busan, Chiwan, Tanjung Pelepas, Port Kelang, Koper, Trieste, Rijeka, Venice, Koper, Malta, Jeddah, Port Kelang, Tanjung Pelepas, Nansha and Shanghai.
   A total of 10 vessels with an average capacity of 5,854 TEUs operate on the Phoenician Express/BEX2, according to ocean carrier schedule and capacity database BlueWater Reporting.
   The Ocean3 Alliance members currently provide the vessels, while CMA CGM’s subsidiary line ANL purchases slots on the loop.
   Once Evergreen Line joins, it will provide two vessels, while the Ocean3 Alliance members will provide the additional eight vessels, according to the carriers’ most recent online service schedules.
   Although COSCO and Evergreen Line are participating on the Phoenician Express/BEX2, fellow CKYHE Alliance members Yang Ming, Hanjin and “K” Line do not appear to be joining, as they are not currently showing schedules for the service.